#librarian review

[teen-media-review-world]

"Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can't quite keep up with gravity."

[REVIEW] Coming-of-Age Teen Novel - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Image credit: Noelle Stevenson (illustrator)

Awards and Accolades

2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize

2015 Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

2018 NCSLMA Battle of the Books

Related Media

In Fangirl, the main character writes fanfiction about a fictional book series called Simon Snow. Author Rainbow Rowell would go on to actually write a Simon Snow book trilogy.

Image credit: Rainbow Rowell's website

This sparked tons of IRL fan edits shipping the main characters, Simon and Baz.

Plot Synopsis

In her 2013 novel, author Rainbow Rowell introduces us to Fangirl Cather, a freshman at the University of Nebraska. Since her tween years, Cath has been writing gay MLM fanfiction based on the mystical misadventures of the two main characters in Simon Snow book series--Simon and Baz. Her newest fanfic, Carry On, Simon, has amassed a huge readership, which motivates Cath to keep writing, even as the last book in the actual Simon Snow series is set to debut at the end of the school eyar.

Cath was dragged to university by her cooler, more popular twin sister, Wren. Cath didn't even know what to major in, so she picked English because writing fiction (fanfiction, to be precise) is her passion. Cath and Wren were inseparable growing up--Wren even helped Cath edit her fanfiction. But, as the twins arrive to college, Wren spends more time drinking and partying, leaving Cath alone in her dorm, too anxious to even go to the dining hall.

Wren didn't even want to be Cath's roommate. Instead, Cath is roomies with Reagan, a junior at UN with an abrasive, tough-love personality. Reagan has a rotation of boyfriends and exes, and one in particular can't seem to leave Cather alone. At first, Levi and Cath are just friends--he walks her back to her dorm after her midnight meetings at the library with her writing partner, Nick. Cath is intrigued by Nick's creative mind, but is also starting to crush on Levi, especially after the two share an unexpected kiss. As Cath is trying to navigate her love life and her difficult fiction writing class, her father suffers a bipolar episode and is hospitalized. This prompts her to leave school early before finishing her finals.

Cath isn't used to any of this--her tough academics, her sister not being by her side, or her new serious relationship. Plus, she still has to write chapters for Carry On, Simon as all of this is going down. Cath's story ends as her freshman year comes to a close. She supports her dad. She keeps her estranged mother at a distance. She patches things up with Wren. She opens up more to Levi. She even finishes Carry On, Simon right as the last book in the Simon Snow series comes out. She learns that she can be a supportive daughter, an excellent student, and encouraging sister, a loving girlfriend, and a huge fangirl.

Review

This novel touches on one of the most challenging times of the teenage experience--turning 18 and shipping off to college. Teens during this time are no longer stifled by parental control, but are still not yet full-blown adults. But, those adult responsibilities to yourself, your friends, your family, and your academics can still start to creep in, making it a really overwhelming time. Fangirl highlights the fact that you can't be the perfect sister, daughter, girlfriend, or student 24/7. But, you can be true to yourself, and that will put you in the right place to walk through life with the best intentions.

Rowell artfully navigates complex issues, like mental health crises, underage drinking, relationships, dating, sex, and more, which all can present themselves simultaneously while trying to navigate college life. These heavy-hitting topics are carefully interlaced with scenes that either brought on uncontrollable laughter and smiles, or heartache and tears. Nerdy, bookish girls like Cather can feel ostracized at every turn--mocked for their interests and uniqueness. Fangirl is for those girls heading off to college that are looking for the green light to truly be themselves.

Credit

Rowell, R. (2013). Fangirl. St. Martin's Griffin.

[welcometogrouchland]

I understand that literature nerd Jason Todd is kind of overblown in fanon compared to it's actual presence in canon (a few issues during his pre (and post?)crisis Robin tenure that highlight it) BUT consider that I think it's hilarious if the unhinged gun toting criminal has strong opinions on poetry

[wolfstarlibrarian]

9 books to read in 2025 (sweet + spicy)

Thank you SO much to @eyra for tagging me! I love an excuse to talk about books.

I had SO much fun reading these books I'm excited to share them, so pretty please let me know if you read any of them? I might put anon asks back on because I'm so eager to discuss them. Also, all of these books have HEAs.

Also, I'm working on related marauders lists for almost all of these, so stay tuned!

🌶️ = the more peppers the spicier it is

🍭 = the more lollipops the sweeter it is

Captive Prince: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This series is one that ifykyk. It's a dark, dramatic, sexy mlm series set in a pseudo historic age and WOW. If it was a fic it'd come with tons of warnings and tags, but there's also an underlying softness between the main characters. Lots of angst and drama and characters you can't help root for. DEFINITELY an 18+ rec so please proceed accordingly.

Johann: Vampire Mates: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭

I already rec'd one of the books in this series here, but this one is tied for my favorite. A modern soulmate/vampire au that's got humor, the CUTEST cinnamon roll who's inexperienced (and hundreds of years old), a russian mobster, and just enough angst to make me you ache.

Boystown Heartbreakers: 🌶️🌶️ 🍭🍭🍭

If you're a wolfstar fan, then you'll absolutely adore this friends-to-lovers modern story about a hairstylist who is so worried about dating his DROP DEAD GORGEOUS best friend. All the internal turmoil paired with a book boyfriend you'll absolutely love, and lines that actually had me laughing out loud makes this one of my top reads for the year.

The Charm Offensive: 🌶️🌶️ 🍭🍭🍭

This one totally surprised me with how well it dealth with mental health issues in the middle of a VERY charming story about falling in love with someone (when it's literally your job to help them fall in love with someone else). A bi-awakening and oblivious pining gem. If you want more fics that feature a reality show check out this rec list.

Myles Below Freezing: 🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭

Okay can someone alert the Hazelnoot server? Because this one feels like a cross between Solntse and Sweater Weather. Myles (a cinnamon roll, nerdy Remus IMO) has to solve a murder mystery at the South Pole while trying not to fall for the sweetheart Russian Alexei. The banter is incredible and honestly my friends and I need a second book about the lesbians in it. Forced proximity, oblivious DATING, anxiety rep, action and chase scenes, cuddling, and locked-in together all in one.

Sapphire Sunset: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 🍭🍭🍭

If you don't know Chris Rice, he's the gay son of Anne Rice (author of Interview With A Vampire) and thank god he's followed in her footsteps because his romance books are SO good and intense and yet fluffy? It's a ton of drama about an ex-marine and a hotel heir and a family scandal for the books. Feels delightfully like an age-gap modern Drarry book.

Lightning Born: 🌶️ 🍭

A friend recommended me this Frankenstein mlm retelling, and I was like "ew, no". However, I was completely surprised by how much heart it had, and how much it reminded me of R/S. Amnesia (due to ya know, dying), forbidden love, some serious angst, and thankfully a HEA that includes lesbians getting to live out in the tropics.

Honey Girl: 🌶️🌶️ 🍭🍭🍭

This is the only book on the list with wlw as the main pairing and by god, it's beautiful. The writing style gripped me on the first page and I've been recommending it to everyone since I've read it. Imagine waking up in a hotel room in Vegas, by yourself, with a wedding band on your finger and a note. The whole book feels like an intimate love letter and it should absolutely be on your TBR.

On Writing

No spice or sweetness in this non-fiction book, because it's a book by Stephen King on writing. Whenever I talk to anyone who's struggling with their craft I always recommend this book. It's short, to the point, and will leave you feeling much more confident in your abilities while helping you improve your writing. 10/10.

⭐

Okay well I hope you enjoy these recs! I've turned on anon asks so please share your thoughts or your own recs as I'm always looking for new books and fics to read. (We'll just ignore how long the TBR list is already...)

Tagging: @thedrarrylibrarian @wolfstarwarehouse @wolfstarmicrofic @pancakehouse @imsiriuslyreading @lavenderhaze @rainbowrowell @gayliketheancients @brandileigh2003 @mrtellmeafckingsecret @imjusthereforwolfstar And ANYONE ELSE who also love books

[maydaymainia]

Another day, another attempt at youtubing. I love werewolves though and have been wanting to make a video talking about different options for werewolf comics on webtoons for a while. <3

[justforbooks]

That Librarian by Amanda Jones

A small-town US librarian’s lively account of her battle with a group of far-right censors reveals the toll it took on her health

Amanda Jones’s story is awful – and important. A school librarian for 23 years in her home town of Watson, southern Louisiana, she has watched with concern in recent years as a movement of book-banning swept across the US. According to the American Library Association, “book challenges” in public libraries almost doubled from 729 in 2021 to 1,269 in 2022.

In July 2022, when Jones heard about a public meeting that would discuss “book content” in local libraries, she went along. A board member said she was “concerned” about some “inappropriate” material in the local library’s children and young adult sections. In response, Jones gave a measured speech, explaining her belief that “while book challenges are often done with the best intentions, and in the name of age appropriateness, they often target marginalised communities” and “books on sexual health and reproduction”. She went on to detail the “First Amendment right to borrow, read, view, and listen to library resources”.

“I said nothing earth-shattering,” Jones writes in her memoir. But within days her life had been upended because of two posts on social media. The first was by the Facebook page of Citizens for a New Louisiana, a far-right group whom Jones knew had worked to defund a library in nearby Lafayette and whose executive director was a man named Michael Lunsford. It accused Jones of “fighting so hard to keep sexually erotic and pornographic materials in the kids’ section”. The second Facebook post was made by local man Ryan Thames, who wrote that Jones advocated “teaching anal sex to 11-year-olds”.

The posts were shared widely by local people, including many Jones knew. “One parent in particular whose child I had helped with getting services for a learning disability was especially vicious,” she writes, devastatingly. Later, she received a death threat. Over the course of the next year, Jones, who is in her mid-40s, lost a lot of weight, experienced hair loss and took medical leave from work. In the spring of 2023 she sued Lunsford and Thames for defamation.

That Librarian is Jones’s account of the 2022 public meeting that started her ordeal, the ultimately unsuccessful court case and all that followed. She has a lively, convivial style: “I worried that my friends and family would be targeted next. Spoiler alert: they were.” Sometimes this breeziness veers into pettiness, as when she describes an opponent who has “the spelling and grammar of a child of 10”, or refers to Valarie Hodges, a member of the Louisiana state senate who posted online against Jones, as “my gal pal Val”.

The more wistful sections are warming. Jones describes how she was in high school when Watson had its first traffic light installed – that’s how small a town it is. She credits her teenage reading of Judy Blume, one of the most banned authors ever, with “making me more empathetic”. Jones believes uncompromisingly in the power of books to open minds. And through working as a school librarian, has seen the impact of exclusion politics: “I have lost more former students to suicide than I care to think about, many of whom, I suspect, died as a direct result of being made to feel excluded in our society.” Together, these experiences have informed her anti-censorship mentality.

But she knows party politics comes into it too. Her local area has become “extremely alt-right and conspiratorial” in recent years, and she has noticed that “all book banners seem to be Republican”. She is refreshingly honest about her relative complicity. “It wasn’t until I was into my 40s that I realised some aspects of our country weren’t that great,” she writes, before admitting that she voted for Donald Trump in 2016. She regrets it now, but these admittances are important. Listening to voices from across the political divide, and understanding the ways in which we are both similar and different to those who vote similarly and differently to us is crucial in understanding why the world is the way it is – even more so after Trump’s re-election.

Several times, Jones refers to how she has tracked her defamers to see they have also donated to election campaigns of particular pro-ban politicians. But she never fully examines the intricacies of this likely organised overlap, or takes a step back to consider how this current wave of book banning compares with historical cases. As such, “my fight against book banning in America” would be a more suitable subtitle, not “the fight”. This is a brave, fascinating book, but it’s the personal story of Jones’s ordeal – about which she is evidently still very bitter – rather than an account of the movement as a whole.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[tilbageidanmark]

Currently reading.

Follow me for more book recommendations.

Better yet. Let’s start a book club.

[in-the-stacks]

Presenting Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen. Reviewed by Read Local for In the Stacks.

https://www.inthestacks.tv/2024/07/read-local-bad-men-by-julie-mae-cohen

[the-masked-reviewer]

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)

potential spoilers ahead...

This movie has a very fun atmosphere and uses very wacky/silly humor. It's incredibly fun and the comedy makes the world ending threat we are faced with into something fun and lighthearted to watch.

The concept is super fun and interesting. While it's not exactly unique in its "guy/operation protect magical items" gig, I've always felt its approach of throwing an absolute weirdo into the deep end was fun. Of course, the entire trilogy has made my favorite movies list since I was a kid, so I might be biased here.

This movie is a great introduction to the characters and the world. While the main character is essentially the only one in all three movies, apart from two side characters, you still get depth from them all. The story is interesting and could've very easily stood on its own.

[tealeves]

20th Century Gay & Lesbian Historical Fiction for Young Adults

While your parents (or adults over twenty-five or so) may object to the mid-to-late 20th century being called "historical," there's been a wellspring of YA fiction recently about the experiences of gay & lesbian teens in the last hundred years. Here's just a few books from this niche that have popped out to me:

World War II & the 1950s

Nothing Sung & Nothing Spoken by Nita Tyndall Find this book near you on WorldCat. Starting in 1938, this book follows Charlie (short for Charlotte), who falls in love with jazz music and other girls in Nazi Germany. Through the war, Charlie's determination to hang onto these illicit, "degenerate" loves under violence and authoritarianism is tested, and relationships change before the war ends...

Pulp by Robin Talley Find this book near you on WorldCat. Taking place in both the 1950s and the modern day, main character Abby becomes engrossed in 50s lesbian pulp fiction and becomes determined to find the author of her favorite work who, in her past, deals with similar relationship problems amid the mid-century Lavender Scare.

My Lovely Frankie by Judith Clarke Find this book near you on WorldCat. Set in 1950s Australia, Tom feels compelled to join a Catholic seminary, but soon feels himself falling for a fellow student. Looking back on the situation from the modern day, Tom reflects on what love can really mean within Christian religion.

The 1970s

Ziggy, Stardust, & Me by James Brandon Find this book near you on WorldCat. Sixteen-year-old Jonathan is in electroshock conversion therapy just months before “homosexuality” is removed from the DSM. In these volatile times, Jonathan dreams about David Bowie & develops a friendship - maybe more - with a Two-Spirit kid named Web.

One True Way by Shannon Hitchcock Find this book near you on WorldCat. Aspiring reporter Allie moves to a new town in the late 1970s and develops a friendship and romance with Sam, a fellow middle-schooler. But the town they live in isn't very supportive of the few gay people who live there, leading Allie to try and find support in perhaps unexpected places amid a backdrop of rapid social change.

Music From Another World - Robin Talley Find this book near you on WorldCat. Another pick from Robin Talley, this time taking place in the punk scene of 1970s San Francisco. Told largely through letters, two teen girls - both closeted - become pen pals through their schools, and must learn how to rely on each other and their rebellion as the anti-gay backlash in the U.S. grows more and more oppressive.

The 1990s

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazeman Find this book near you on WorldCat. Coming in at the tail end of the 1980s AIDS crisis, Reza is an Iranian immigrant struggling with his fears about being gay and getting sick, while a love triangle develops between a girl crushing on him, Judy - who he only sees as a friend - and an openly gay punk, Art. The trio volunteer for ACT UP, an AIDS advocacy group, as fear, love, and illness makes relationships complicated for all three.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth Find this book near you on WorldCat. Living with her aunt in Minnesota after her parents' untimely deaths, Cameron has to navigate her love for girls in a strict Christian household - one that, once she's caught, sends her to a conversion therapy camp. There, she must navigate meeting other queer people for the first time, but also come face to face with trauma...

I Will Greet the Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani Find this book near you on WorldCat. K is a teen navigating abuse, the immigrant experience, and blossoming queerness through the early 90s until after the September 11th attacks in 2001. When K and his brothers are taken unexpectedly to Iran by their volatile father, they don't know it's going to be an experience that changes their lives - though it may or may not be for the better.

[teen-media-review-world]

"We're all to blame... At least, a little."

[REVIEW] Classic Teen Novel - 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Image credit: Ryan McVay (photographer), Christian Fuenfhausen (editor)

Awards and Accolades

2008 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

2010 South Carolina Young Adult Book Award

2013 Abraham Lincoln Award

Related Media

In 2017, 13 Reasons Why was adapted into a Netflix show. The first season follows the plot of the novel.

Plot Synopsis

In Jay Asher's 2007 novel 13 Reasons Why, high schooler Clay Jensen's everyday life is upended when his classmate and secret crush, Hannah Baker, dies by suicide. It's even more upended when, a few weeks after the tragedy, a shoebox full of cassette tapes addressed to him arrives at his house. With no return address, Clay is left with zero idea as to who the tapes came from or what could possibly be on them. In fact, who even listens to cassettes anymore?

Luckily, with his dad's old radio cassette player (and, later, a Walkman stolen from his friend Tony), Clay discovers what the tapes hold. And when he does, he wishes he never played the tapes at all. Through the speakers comes the voice of Hannah Baker, the girl who just died. The girl whose desk is empty in English class.

Through the tapes, Clay finds out that there are 13 people on Hannah's list. 13 pieces to the puzzle of why she died. 13 reasons why she chose to take her own life. And Clay's name is somehow on that list. Throughout the night, Clay listens as Hannah puts those puzzle pieces together, calling out the people and situations that drove her to the point of no return.

In the beginning, Clay is confused--Why is he on this list? What did he do to Hannah? Why didn't she ask him for help when he was right there? But, by the time he passes off the tapes to the next person on the list, he understands--all 13 people are to blame for Hannah's death.

Review

13 Reasons Why is a heavy hitter in more ways than one. We've all seen someone be bullied, mocked, and taken advantage of at school. This book makes you reflect on how many times you could have spoken up, but didn't. And, how hard it really cane be to help someone when nothing seems wrong with them on the surface. 13 Reasons Why touches on dark themes that can be part of the high school experience for many teenagers--suicide, sexual assault, drinking, partying, and more. Asher is brave enough to acknowledge that, yeah, high schoolers do have these things happen to them. They do end up in these horrible situations. This stuff isn't just for adults.

Hannah telling her story through the tapes and slowly revealing the mystery of why she died makes for a thrilling story. From chapter to chapter, from tape to tape, I was on the edge of my seat, asking, Who's next? Clay is the perfect conduit for Hannah's story. His confusion and anger at Hannah for putting him on the list becomes compassion and resolve to do better by the end of the book. This reflects exactly what someone should get out of 13 Reasons Why. There are signs of tragedy everywhere if you know how to look for them. Jay Asher's novel prompts us to really start paying attention.

Credit

Asher, J. (2007). 13 Reasons Why. Razorbill.

[kevkebus-subh]

[just-sfw-butts]

[thegrimmlibrarian]

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC!

[newbookcats]

Why Do We Love to "Hate" the Unlikable Female Heroine? | A Discussion About Every Reader's Favorite Guilty Pleasure

To read more posts like this, visit my blog: https://newbookcatsreads.blogspot.com/

A reader's favorite guilty pleasure is assuming that the sharp wits, scathing remarks, and morally questionable actions of fictional characters are aimed directly at us. These books we have associated as our safety nets do anything to catch us during jarring experiences and the emotional turmoil that typically follows.

For instance, every time I revisit Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices trilogy where she showcases a love triangle with only right angles, I consistently brace myself from Will Herondale's cold remarks veiling his (obvious) affection for Tessa Gray and any cruel schemes completed by Jessamine, Nathan, Magister or other villains--not that the Magister's manipulation of his soul-fueled robot army sucks away any remorse I have toward his sorrowful past lending to his desires for revenge against Shadowhunters. Still, their flaws feel personal, their choices oddly intimate, and somehow, their imperfection makes the story better.

Moreover, despite the immediate hatred we are expected to feel for villains and their callous schemes, there are surprisingly many literature heroines widely disliked by readers--and by extension, the family members of said readers who have to listen to thorough dissections of the heroine's role in the story and cry spells resulting from the heroine's ultimate sacrifice to rescue their loved ones from poisoned cake.

And, while Joey undeniably reflects every reader in this scenario, I would also like to express how not-sorry I am for my past and future actions regarding my favorite novels and character.

Still, this begs the question: why do we love to hate these unlikable heroines, particularly the sharp-tongued, self-centered, and sometimes just plain mean ones that somehow steal the spotlight and keep us turning the pages until the night turns into day?

Warning: All of the declarations written by me and featured on this blog are my opinions. I'm an amateur literature dissectionist; further, I barely know how to write a story without one or many plot holes. Please respect my opinions. Moreover, if you share an opinion in the comments, I will respect your takes--even the burning hot ones--regardless of how I personally stand on an issue. If you come across a statement that you have an issue with, I highly recommend for you to consult your local librarian or book club to discuss incidental symptoms of hotheadedness, insomnia, snarky comments, frequent book hangovers, and possible death. This post is not recommended as book therapy or associated treatment for people with high prevalence of the above symptoms, and it is recommended for all readers to proceed and share at their own risk. Thank you!

First, let’s address societal expectations. Women in fiction are often expected to be likable, relatable, or at the very least, redeemable. For example, Sansa Stark from George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones is everything expected of a young woman readied to marry the heir to the Seven Kingdoms: obedient, soft-spoken, and well-mannered albeit a rare occurrence of sass reserved for her siblings. However, throughout a series of torturous character-defining moments as Martin's story progresses, Sansa transforms into a woman that readers strongly admire yet fear. Strong-willed, resilient, and loyal in favor of Daenerys and her brother Jon's resistance against the presently-ruling Lannister family, she earns both fans and enemies; however, her power-hungry tendencies and ambitious attitude show another complexity to her character--even allowing readers to outspokenly crave a downfall in her plans.

Another instance would be when Celeste in Kiera Cass’s The Selection series is painted as the vain and ruthless "mean girl" who is laser-focused on attaining Prince Maxon's heart and the deeply coveted title as Queen of Illéa. But as the trilogy progresses, Celeste surprises readers by risking her life to protect Maxon and America, her competitor. Slowly through the trilogy, her vulnerabilities are revealed, suddenly transforming her from a villain we loved to hate to someone we grudgingly admire. Similarly, Nina Zenik from Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows is introduced as unapologetically brash and self-assured. Despite included as a protagonist of the story, she undeniably embodies traits that readers often find polarizing, making her a magnet for both admiration and critique from readers. These are classic cases of an unlikable heroine being redeemed by layers of complexity and growth.

Meanwhile, male characters, can brood, break hearts, and make all kinds of morally questionable choices while still being applauded as society's next "bookish boyfriend" and excused as “complicated” or “nuanced.” So when an author drops an unlikable female heroine into our laps, she feels refreshing.

But here’s the thing: unlikable heroines reflect real women. Not everyone is a people-pleaser or a cinnamon roll who always says the right thing at the right time. And, let’s be honest, who wants to be?

Unlikable heroines challenge the idea that women must be palatable to be worthy of storytelling. Instead, they showcase flaws in ways that resonate with readers who might see themselves in the unfiltered messiness.

Take, for instance, Cersei Lannister from Martin's Game of Thrones. Yes, despite not being a heroine, Cersei's story is a masterclass in making readers simultaneously love and hate a character. Her snark, cruelty, and morally questionable choices make her divisive. Yet, when her full intentions of keeping her family, especially her children, not only safe but alive in the midst of a dragon-led rebellion are revealed, many readers, especially those who are mothers or caretakers of a family member, suddenly see her in a new light. Still, this begs us to consider if Cersei as a bitter, vengeful, yet deeply loyal woman deserves a redemption arc or if she is irredeemable and should be punished with more than just rotten tomatoes.

Moreover, there’s a fine line between flawed and unbearable. When done well, unlikable heroines make us question our own biases. 

Why does her ambition feel “too much” to me? Am I uncomfortable with her choices because they’re immoral or because they challenge societal norms?

But when done poorly, these characters turn into nothing more than plot devices for shock value or an author’s attempt at forced edginess, becoming caricatures overdressed in universally condemned values and unlikeable personality traits. For example, Storee from Megan Quinn’s How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is a prime example of this. On the surface level, she is quirky and sarcastic, traits that easily evoke adoration. But after further reading and analysis, her incessant snark crosses into grating territory, leaving some readers (ahem, me) rolling their eyes more than rooting for her. It’s a balancing act, and when that balance is off, even the most forgiving audience may find themselves not finishing that supposed "feel-good" story in lieu of reaching for another one.

Still, I believe unlikable heroines have a place on our shelves. They force us to engage critically with our stories, question our assumptions, and maybe even confront our own unlikable traits. Moreover, as I have matured and been exposed to more complex pieces or stories including advanced topics, I have come to enjoy reading about morally gray protagonists--even so far as looking forward to their written presence. Albeit their misunderstood pasts or questionable intentions within their fictional universes, it is refreshing to encounter characters who are neither strictly virtuous or are perpetually untarnished by faults or temptations. 

Albeit not a female heroine, it's refreshing to consider that even the holiest figure of them all, Jesus, in the Bible was admittedly tempted by the devil several times throughout His life and during His preparations. Moreover, He questioned His purpose and final sacrifice. These situations and similar ones dispersed throughout the Bible remind readers that absolute perfection is unattainable for anyone...even for the son of a deity.

And, returning to non-biblical figures, morally gray characters resonate with audiences, when written correctly, because they reflect this messy, intricate reality of humanity that is complicated, often selfish, and undeniably flawed. Everyday, we face that perfection is strictly an illusion, and these characters remind us that these slight imperfections can be captivating, successfully driving a story forward and establishing a character as a timeless literary figure and, oftentimes, an inspiration for others. The complexities of these characters not only challenge us to question our own moral compass but to find empathy in the most unexpected places. And, that includes the countless number of family members and friends I entrusted to hear my most vulnerable thoughts about these characters.

And on a higher note, these characters are fun to include in thoughtful debates and deep philosophical discussions when it comes to values and beliefs--and who doesn’t love a good bookish debate with both readers and non-readers alike?

So, what’s your take? Are unlikable heroines misunderstood gems or literary landmines? Albeit YOUR literal perfection, which characters or literary scenes encouraged you to reflect on your own morals or biases? Is it possible for these unlikable heroines (like Cersei Lannister) to earn redemption from readers, or what are some common traits and actions that make this option widely opposable (such as in the case of the Magister)? Leave your hot takes below (bonus points if you can name a heroine you loved and hated at the same time). Let’s keep this discussion spicy--just like our favorite morally gray protagonists--in the comments below or via my social media accounts.

Love,

Nicole

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[melaniem54]

Review:  A Spark of Something (A Librarian's Guide to Witchery Book 1) by Shelby Rhodes

Rating: 4.5🌈 It’s always exciting when Shelby Rhodes releases a new book, yet alone one that’s the start of a new series, but A Spark of Something (A Librarian’s Guide to Witchery Book 1) is exactly that.  A new LGBTQIA paranormal romance thriller that has all the elements we hope to see in a Shelby Rhodes novel, it sets the foundation going forward with the characters and world building for…